Decker leads Liberty against Middle Tennessee after 25-point game

By Canadian Press on January 28, 2026.

Liberty Flames (17-3, 9-0 CUSA) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (11-8, 5-3 CUSA)

Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Liberty plays Middle Tennessee after Brett Decker Jr. scored 25 points in Liberty’s 67-51 victory against the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.

The Blue Raiders are 8-1 in home games. Middle Tennessee averages 74.7 points and has outscored opponents by 4.6 points per game.

The Flames are 9-0 against CUSA opponents. Liberty averages 17.6 assists per game to lead the CUSA, paced by Zach Cleveland with 6.9.

Middle Tennessee averages 9.8 made 3-pointers per game, 2.0 more made shots than the 7.8 per game Liberty allows. Liberty has shot at a 52.1% rate from the field this season, 9.8 percentage points greater than the 42.3% shooting opponents of Middle Tennessee have averaged.

The matchup Thursday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Torey Alston is averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Blue Raiders. Kamari Lands is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Decker averages 3.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Flames, scoring 18.0 points while shooting 50.0% from beyond the arc. Kaden Metheny is averaging 13.4 points and 3.1 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Raiders: 6-4, averaging 70.3 points, 31.0 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.1 points per game.

Flames: 10-0, averaging 77.0 points, 26.1 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press